Hypnosis for Education
Hypnosis can be used to enhance every aspect of studying and can assist a person to achieve their academic and vocational goals. There are many factors involved in the process of studying. Initially, the individual must understand the purpose of the process that involves seeing the subject to be studied in a wider context. For example, it is common for school children to struggle in subjects that they see as irrelevant, but as this is a perception issue, it can be altered by looking at the situation from different angles. The environment of learning is also important, both in terms of physical surroundings and emotional support. If these are inadequate, hypnosis can enable the person to make the best of their own situation, and recognize the control and choices that they do have. It is then more straightforward to choose behaviour that is appropriate to meet the desired goals.
Hypnosis can also assist the individual to develop belief, not only in their ability to learn, but also in the possibilities that such learning opens up. Once they have this belief, they will have the confidence to study. We all have far more âbrain powerâ than we will ever use. Once an awareness of capabilities has developed, choices become clearer, rather than allowing limiting beliefs to restrict the scope of possibilities.
If belief, purpose and environment are in place, it then becomes a natural process for motivation to develop, as the pleasures of success are more apparent. Also, the more a person enjoys the subject itself, the more they will intrinsically motivated, and the more meaning and commitment they will give to the process.
It is often recognized that there are three key stages of learning. Each step can be aided by hypnosis, as follows. The first stage involves gaining an understanding of the subject at a conscious, cognitive level. For example, if learning a foreign language, this sage may involve learning the translation of words and grammar.
The second stage is the associative phase, wherein elements are put together. Using the foreign language example, this may involve being able to construct a sentence from the components of nouns and verbs etc., learned in stage one. Hypnosis can assist in the processed involved in these steps by encouraging understanding and clarity.
The third stage is known as the autonomous stage, and it is at this point that the knowledge âsinksâ into the unconscious and becomes automatic. For example, it is the stage at which a person can simply say something in a foreign language, without specifically having to translate. Hypnosis can speed up this process of unconscious integration and allow it to happen more smoothly.
Hypnosis can then be used to aid concentration, understanding, memory and recall, particularly by the use of hypnotic mental rehearsal. If anxiety is a factor, perhaps connected with taking exams or the prospect of failure, hypnosis can also help alleviate the symptoms and reframe possible outcomes, leading to a more relaxed and helpful mode in which to work.
